My Unchallenging Challenge

 

By now, you might have listened to our podcast about Christen and Amber’s 2nd Annual Book Challenge. They are pretty stoked about it. I’m usually up for a challenge. I’m not really sure why, but I sign up for challenges all the time…like the 365 project I’ve mentioned a few times, Layout-A-Day (for scrapbookers), and One Little Word. But while I’m intrigued by the interesting books I might read in a book challenge, I have absolutely no desire to join one.

There could be a lot of reasons why I am so resistant. My plate is already quite full, for starters, and maybe it’s because I no longer just sit and read all day like I used to. I really do limit most of my reading to the hour or so before bed, and that means it can take me weeks to finish a book…maybe even months. So I really don’t do a lot of reading to begin with…or at least not like Christen and Amber.

There’s also the pressure of being forced to read something specific. I have piles and piles of books that are “tbr” (to be read for the uninitiated). I buy them because I intend to read them, but sometimes something better comes along and I want to read that instead. If I make myself read something on my tbr list, I really don’t enjoy it as much because I feel like I’m just trying to get through it. I’d rather look through the piles (or the digital files) for something juicy that’s calling my name. And by juicy, I mean irresistible, not racy. If a book is calling to me and is an absorbing read, I can get through it quickly because I can’t put it down. 

My piles of books have gotten so big that they’re overflowing my bookshelf. And that’s just the books I’ve actually purchased. There are hundreds on my notepad and other lists, including the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list, which I’ve frequently mentioned, so there’s always something if I look long enough. I started to compile my lists, adding a cute page to my bullet journal to track them, but then new books came along, and I kept adding to the other lists to the point where I decided I needed to make multiple trackers because I kept reading things that weren’t on the list.

So, I guess for me, the challenge is in getting through the list someday. In my own sweet time, and in whatever order I deem necessary. It doesn’t really matter, does it? After all, I’m reading, and that is what it’s all about.